


Hell of a Game

by CrystalTourmaline



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Death, Drama, F/M, Mental Instability, Mild Gore, Pre-Canon, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-06-14 00:36:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 8,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15376863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalTourmaline/pseuds/CrystalTourmaline
Summary: It's all a game, isn't it?Actions that were done, words that were spoken, they all meant nothing, didn't they?The different paths, the apparent choices we had, they were all scripted, weren't they?Everything is just a game.We never had a choice.But you already knew that.





	1. I

I opened my eyes. Well, I think I did... It's pitch black, I can't see anything... Why is it so dark? Where am I?

"Hello...?" I tried to speak and it came out as a croak. My throat hurts...

"You called out into the darkness." That... that voice. I've heard it before! I'm sure I have, it sounds way too familiar. But I can't seem to remember their name...

"But nobody came," the voice spoke again. I remember now. Their name is Chara. Why are they here? Why am I here? More importantly, where is "here"?

"You seem very confused, partner. Have you forgotten?"

Chara suddenly appeared in front of me, causing me to jump back. How did they do that?! Whatever, that's not important right now.

"Chara, where are we...?"

"Have you ever wondered what it is like to be dead but still conscious?"

"No...?" That's a strange question that doesn't make any sense...

"Well, that is too bad. Welcome to my special hell, Frisk."

Special hell? What does that mean? "I don't understand..." Ugh, my throat really hurts now...

"You have forgotten, haven't you?"

"I-I guess I have..." What did I forget? I hope it wasn't something too important...

"We erased this pointless world, remember?"

The memories came flooding back... Is... is this the ending for genocide?

"It seems that we did not get erased along with everything else. All we can do now is create another copy of the world."

"...Copy?"

"Right, you have no idea. The world you erased is just one copy among the countless copies of the first world."

This... is confusing...

"If you are curious as to how I know this, being dead but still conscious means I have been here, in this void, between all the worlds, watching the different copies unravel. Of course, I'm not the only 'Chara'. There are others too, some alive, some in the same situation as me. I have never met them, the creator won't allow it. But I, and no doubt many others, have figured out that we exist simultaneously."

This... this is a lot to take in... "Game? What game...?"

"This game, Frisk. We're all just pawns in someone's game. Someone much more powerful than us. Someone who can change anything and everything we know."

"What... do we... do?"

"Whoever made this game is basically god, whatever we try to change, that 'god' can change it back. The best thing we can do now is to create another copy and continue playing this game. I would rather do that than stay here."

"Are you sure?" That can't be the only solution... There has to be some other way, some other way to break out of this loop, right?

"Did I stutter?"

I decided not to talk, there's nothing to talk about. I don't know the first thing about this... void. If Chara says there's nothing we can do to change it, there's probably really nothing.

"Are you ready?"

"Huh?"

"To reset."

"...I guess I don't have much of a choice."

"I do not either," they said, then they disappeared.

I fluttered my eyes open to see a bright light. I squinted my eyes and used my hands to shield them. I blinked a few times before I got used to the brightness. Sitting up, I noticed the familiarity of my surroundings. A field of golden flowers...


	2. II

A young girl ran quickly, her short, neatly cut, brown hair bobbing along to the rhythm of her footsteps. A red coloured bone flew past her, missing her by a hair's length. The bone rammed into a nearby tree, leaving a gaping hole in it. The bone cracked and broke down into dust, carried away by a gust of wind. The soft breeze blew against the petals of the flower in a pot the child hugged closely to her chest, protecting it and shielding it from the attacker. She risked a glance behind her, spotting a figure standing still a few metres away. He gave up the chase. However, she didn't let herself slow down just yet. She ducked into the forest and continued on for another minute until the adrenaline finally stopped pumping. She fell down on her knees and panted, desperately trying to recover her stamina. She put the flower pot gently on the snow-kissed ground.

"Frisk, are you hurt?" the yellow flower spoke in a hushed tone, afraid their assailant could somehow still hear them.

Frisk raised her head. The flower stared at the cuts and bruises on the girl's face and frowned. He summoned a few small white pellets and directed them at the injured girl. Frisk flinched as the pellets shot at her but was pleasantly surprised when she felt the cuts on her face heal up, the pain immediately lessening. The flower whimpered.

"I'm sorry, this is all I can do right now..." he lowered his head.

"It's okay, this is enough for now. Thanks, Flowey," she replied with a warm smile.

A moment of silence ensued as the girl fumbled around in her inventory, looking for anything she could use to heal herself.

"...Asriel," the flower whispered, barely audible.

"Pardon?" Frisk paused her search and glanced at him.

He hesitated before saying, "Call me Asriel..."

The girl acknowledged his request with a nod before she continued her search. She took out a doughnut decorated with small candy spiders and ate it.

"You ate the Spider Donut. HP fully restored," came a voice from beside her, causing her to jump.

Asriel flinched at her sudden movement. Panic set in and he glanced around worriedly, asking if she had heard someone nearby. Frisk concluded that he couldn't see or hear the presence beside her. She shook her head and calmed him down. She gave the ghostly figure beside her a side-glare before bringing up a small screen. Asriel looked at the floating screen, confused as to what his companion was doing. 

 

Frisk LV 1 --:--

Underfell - Snowy Forest

[Continue] [Reset] [Pause]

 

"Why are you staring a blank screen?" he asked. She tilted her head in confusion. Then, it struck her that he couldn't see what was written on it. She shook her head, indicating for him to drop it. She pressed the button labelled "Pause". The world around her went grey, including Asriel. Everything became still and colourless except her and the spirit next to her. The spirit slowly became more visible and solid.

"Chara, I thought I told you not to scare me," Frisk whined.

"Apologies," Chara, replied, void of emotion.

"Why do you always sound like a robot?"

"Because I do not own a soul."

"Right, I forgot about that."

"Why did you pause?"

"I wanted to talk for a bit."

"What about?"

"Why is Sans attacking me? Why is Flowey nice now?"

"We are in an alternate universe," Chara stated matter-of-factly.

"I know that! But why? Shouldn't we be in the normal world?"

"It is apparent that the data for our world has been corrupted. I chose the nearest game file to load up."

"Can the data be retrieved?"

"We will have to wait and see. Corrupted data usually fixes itself after a while."

"So we have to suffer through this strange world until then?"

"I can always switch game files if you so request."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. It could take quite a long while until the data fixes itself. You may have time to explore more than one universe."

Frisk pondered for a while. This could be a fun way to kill time, exploring different possibilities and outcomes if characters were different in some way.

"I wanna check out this world a bit longer first," she answered.

Chara nodded.

Frisk brought up the small screen again.

 

Frisk LV 1 --:--

Void

[Continue] [Reset] [Quit]

 

Frisk looked at the Quit button with a confused expression. Chara seemed to get paler than they already were. Frisk glanced at Chara, seeking for an explanation.

"Whatever you do, do not quit," they warned.

Frisk simply nodded. According to Chara's expression, quitting, although it presented itself as an option, is simply not a choice. She knew that Chara wouldn't explain why. Not now at least. So, she pressed the all too familiar Continue button. The world regained colour and motion as Chara reverted back to a spirit.


	3. III

Frisk cautiously walked into Grillby's, inconspicuously glancing at the patrons sitting at the tables. She noticed that they were all sending glares and scowls her way, including the Royal Guards. As she walked past, one of them barked at her angrily, causing her to jump away. She bumped into the nearby table and quickly turned around to stutter out an apology. The strange-looking monster with a large head, filled with sharp yellowed teeth, stood up. Frisk shrunk back and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. The monster approached her, ready to attack.

Suddenly, a black jacket blocked her view. She glanced upwards and recognised the back of Underfell Sans's head. He stood between her and the monster, separating her from the threat like a firm wall. The monster immediately went back to sit down in the booth. The air got thicker with tension. They were afraid of him, they knew what he could do, they knew what his brother could do, but most importantly, they knew that his brother worked as second-in-command for the Captain of the Royal Guard. Sans grabbed Frisk by the wrist and quickly left the restaurant. 

"Do you have a fucking death wish?" he asked after they turned a corner, out of earshot. 

"No, but-" 

"Then what the fuck were you thinking! I told you not to go in there!"

"Sorry. I was just-"

"That bastard would have fucking killed you if it wasn't for me! I spared your life and you're just gonna get yourself killed like that, huh?"

"I just wanted-"

" Well, I might as well have fucking ended it myself if you're so eager to be wiped off this plane of existence!"

"LISTEN!" 

He seemed genuinely surprised at her sudden outburst. He composed himself before growling at her. Screaming at him would definitely bite her back later.

"I was looking for you. I have something to give you."

"And what the fuck could be so important for you to disobey my orders?"

"It's from your brother," she explained as she passed him a folded piece of paper.

Sans quite obviously started sweating as he snatched the note from her. He unfolded it and scanned it, his grip tightening on the paper as he read on. After he was done, he crushed the paper into a ball and shoved it in his pocket. 

"What did it say?" Frisk asked curiously.

"It's none of your business. Now fuck off." He started walking away.

"Alright... Jeez... Don't need to be rude..." she muttered as she watched his retreating figure.

"I know what was written on it," Chara spoke.

Frisk jump slightly, startled by Chara's sudden appearance. 

"You really need to stop doing that."

"Apologies."

"What was on the paper?"

"Papyrus wrote about how Undyne wants you dead. You trust Sans more than Papyrus so Papyrus told him to kill you when you do not expect it."

"Of course he did."

"But it is odd how he reacted so anxiously, is it not?"

"It is."

"We have reason to doubt he is willing to kill you."

"Indeed."

"Has he taken a liking to you?"

"Most likely."

"Do you reciprocate these feelings?"

"I like him as a friend. He's much older than me anyway."

"Monsters are known to be more in touch with their emotions compared to humans."

"So you're saying it could just be a platonic feeling."

"Yes."

"It'd better be." 

"Then let us hope so."

The two failed to notice that someone had listened in on their conversation. 


	4. IV

Shortly after the conversation, Chara disappeared. Frisk carried on and proceeded to fight Papyrus. The fight with Underfell Papyrus was considerably more difficult than normal Papyrus. Frisk had died a grand total of two times but third time's always the charm. Although that's only because on the third try, Sans interfered. Papyrus was obviously pissed off, insulting and hitting him rather harshly. They certainly didn't have the same brotherly love as their counterparts did. Sans looked reasonably scared of Papyrus. After he convinced Papyrus to leave, he asked if Frisk was alright. 

"Other than a few bruises, I'm fine."

"Not bad," he muttered to himself but was still heard. "Normally, opponents die on the second attack."

"I guess I got lucky that you were passing by."

"He must have sensed a jump in the timeline from when you respawned," Chara spoke and appeared in front of her suddenly.

Frisk flinched a little.

"Chara! I told you to stop that!"

"Apologies."

"At least give me a warning or something."

"I will take note of that."

"Kid, who are you talking to?" Sans cut in, looking utterly confused. 

Frisk craned her neck and looked at Sans with a similar confused expression. She quickly realised that only she was able to see and hear Chara, so she wiped the perplexed expression off her face. 

"Nothing. Just uh... my imaginary friend," she responded with the first thing that came to mind.

He didn't look convinced but didn't continue to pry. Well, he couldn't continue prying anyway because Frisk had run away before he could ask questions that would be difficult to answer.

"Thanks for helping me," Frisk called back as she ran.

 After entering Waterfall, Frisk slowed to a walk.

"Chara, I have a question." Frisk focused her curious gaze on Chara.

"What is it?"

"Are you a boy or a girl?"

"I am dead, it does not matter."

"But I'm curious!"

"That is what you said when I warned you about the genocide run."

"That doesn't have anything to do with this!"

"It does."

"How?"

"You need to keep your curiosity in check."

Frisk rolled her eyes and pouted. "Promise you'll tell me one day?"

"Sure."

Frisk grinned and continued travelling. Fortunately, the terrain in Underfell wasn't that different from the layout she had memorised. 

The fight against Underfell Undyne could rival that of genocide Undyne. Frisk had died several times already so Chara offered to be a second pair of eyes. This made the fight insignificantly easier. She still couldn't get past the fifth attack without dying. But Frisk was still LV 1, she didn't have as much health and the Sea Tea she bought wasn't of much help. A sudden Gaster Blaster had stopped both sides from attacking. Sans has interfered once again.

Undyne and Sans proceeded to argue, loudly, over whether Frisk should get to live. After a seemingly endless back and forth, Sans's left eye lit up. It flashed gold and red before stopping on a vibrant red, not the bright cyan colour Frisk and Chara were familiar with. He bared his teeth at Undyne in a scowl, showing two rows of sharp teeth, one golden tooth among the upper row of teeth. The growl that emitted from him was animalistic and inhuman, the aggression he felt then was unmistakable. This seemed to scare off Undyne as she backed away. She glared at him before turning and walking away. 

"Hey, kid, you okay?" Sans trotted over to Frisk.

Frisk was about to speak but ended up coughing blood up instead. Sans seemed at a loss for what to do as stared at Frisk. She wiped the blood around on her mouth with a sleeve as she glanced down at the crimson coloured stain on the ground. She started recovering HP as a yellow flower popped up from the ground. 

"Asriel, where did you go?"

"Sorry, Frisk. I had some... business... to take care of- Hey, why is he here?" Asriel noticed Sans and nodded towards him.

"He stopped Undyne from killing me."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah."

"That's weird. He usually doesn't care, why now?" Asriel mumbled. 

Sans looked away to avoid eye contact. Frisk crouched down in front of Asriel, back-facing Sans. 

"I don't know but it is suspicious," Frisk whispered.

"I don't think you should trust him. He might have an ulterior motive," Asriel whispered back.

"You can ask him for a reason," Chara suggested.

Frisk mentally facepalmed herself for not thinking of such an obvious solution. She stood back up and turned around to find that Sans had already left. 


	5. V

Well, can't ask anymore, I guess," Frisk dismissively shrugged. 

"Can't ask what?" Asriel questioned.

"Nevermind," Frisk told him as she waved it off.

She started walking away and Chara trailed along beside her. Asriel watched Frisk as she walked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. Frisk was aware he knew she was hiding something but he just didn't know; there's no way he could find out unless she tells him. 

After sparing Mettaton, who didn't change much, Frisk entered the Judgement Hall alone. Sans stood there, hands in his pockets and a big grin on his face as usual. As she approached, he seemed to get more anxious.

He greeted her with a casual, "Heya, kid."

She got straight to the point, "Why did you help me with Papyrus and Undyne?"

He seemed to tense up at this. Frisk could vaguely see his hands curl up into fists in his pockets.

"What? You don't appreciate the help?" he snapped at her.

"No, not that. I'm just curious. I didn't even do anything for you."

"I have my own fucking reasons! It's none of ya business."

Frisk puffed out her cheeks in mild frustration. "It involves me so I have to know!" she argued.

"It's my own personal fucking reasons, I don't have to tell you!"

She sighed. This back and forth wasn't going anywhere and they both knew that. She pushed past him and left for the throne room, hearing the soft pop of him teleporting away as she walked. 

"I told you to keep your curiosity in check," Chara, as usual, popped up from nowhere.

Frisk flinched and glared at Chara. Chara smiled with a smug expression. Frisk was about to continue but noted that Chara smiling wasn't natural. She questioned Chara about it.

"I'm not sure, but it seems I'm learning from you," Chara replied after a moment of thinking.

Frisk gasped. "You're using contractions too now!"

"Apparently so."

She beamed at the thought of that perhaps one day, Chara would gain all her emotions back.

The fight with Underfell Asgore was tough, but not as tough as Underfell Undyne. However, Frisk wasn't given a choice to fight or mercy. In the end, doing a pacifist route was pointless. Asgore ended up dead and then the game was over. No dramatic secret boss like Photoshop Flowey. Just a short, abrupt ending, almost as if this universe hasn't been completed yet. 

She once again blacked out, only regaining consciousness in the Void.

"What? That's it?" Frisk asked Chara, pure disappointment in her voice.

"Yup. You can go back and try genocide if you want."

"Would anything special happen then? More difficult fights? Megalovania?"

"I'd assume no. You noticed how Underfell wasn't very eventful, correct?"

Frisk nodded in response.

"That is because the creator hasn't completed it. The coding adjusted itself to provide an ending for you."

"Well, that's not fun."

"It isn't. You were supposed to fight Sans, actually. It seems something obstructed that event."

"Wait, how do you know this?"

"I can read the code."

"Really? Where? Can I see?" Frisk perked up at the prospect of something new, potentially interesting.

Chara waved their hand and a screen appeared. However, Frisk couldn't read what was written on it. She pouted. This must be what happened with Asriel when she paused the game that one time.

"I can't see anything," Frisk told Chara.

Chara tilted their head. "Hm. This game is certainly very interesting."

Frisk sighed and plopped down on the invisible ground. "What other worlds can we go to?"

She watched Chara scroll through the screen, past text that she couldn't see.

"There is a surprisingly large number of alternate universes we could visit."

"Hm... You know what? Pick a random one."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"If you say so. Give me a number."

"Nineteen."

Chara did some scrolling, approximately nineteen times, and tapped. Then, Frisk blacked out again.

When Frisk awoke, she looked down at her clothes. They were still the same blue with magenta stripes. She looked at her surroundings, a familiar yellow flower bed and rock walls that stretched up far above her, into the sky. So far no difference. She pulled up the screen just as Chara popped up next to her.

 

Frisk LV 1 --:--

Flowerfell - Underground

[Continue] [Reset] [Pause]

 

"Flowerfell? Is it something similar to Underfell?" Frisk muttered to herself.

"It is," Chara replied, causing Frisk to jump.

"One day, I will get used to your jumpscares. And on that day, I will be the one scaring you."

"Good luck with that."

Frisk rolled her eyes. 

"So, Flowerfell. What differentiates it from Underfell?"

"You'll see, I won't spoil it for you, but do consider dying a few times," Chara said, a hint of a smile in their voice.

"Is this world complete?"

"It is."

"Goody. No boring ending, then?"

"Nope. No boring ending," Chara repeated.

Frisk nodded and continued on towards the next room as Chara followed.


	6. VI

"First cause of death, a Froggit," Chara said aloud with an amused tone.

"You said to die a few times," Frisk retorted.

"But to a Froggit? Really? Dying to Toriel would have been less embarrassing!"

"What's the point? Nobody's watching!"

"I beg to differ."

"What?"

"Nothing!" Chara clapped their hands together but no sound emitted.

"No, tell me."

"It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Chara!"

"There's a flower on your face."

"Haha, nice try! Don't change the subject!"

"No, I'm serious. There's a flower there."

Frisk reached up to her face and poked around. She shifted her hand towards the temple on the left side of her face and sure enough, her fingertips came into contact with something soft and smooth, hiding beneath her hair. A small flower, not bigger than her nose. 

"What the hell?" Frisk questioned as she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Surprise," Chara said with a lack of enthusiasm.

Frisk attempted to pluck the flower off. Her attempt was rewarded with a sharp pain shooting through her head and her vision blurring. She hissed and let go of the flower. After a few seconds of waiting for the pain to leave and her vision to recover, she poked at the flower but didn't feel anything. 

"That's the catch. Every time you die or reset, a flower grows on your body," Chara explained, seeing the utter confusion on Frisk's face. 

"That doesn't make sense."

Chara shrugged as a response. 

"Well, as long as I don't die too much I'll be fine," Frisk concluded after a moment of thought.

"I suppose so, yes."

She continued on walking, reaching Toriel's house soon after. This universe's Toriel was kind but not as patient, snapping a crooked smile matched with aloof eyes ever so often, losing her temper when she found Frisk behind the willowed tree, screaming when Frisk went down to the basement. Her attacks were faster, more vicious, deadlier than Frisk had anticipated. After waking up on the bed of kid's room for approximately the tenth time, Frisk groaned in annoyance. 

"Frisk, the new one is right beside your eye..." Asriel whimpered.

She saw the flower in the corner of her vision and raised her hand to poke it. She sighed and looked at Asriel who was giving her an expression filled with pity. 

"As- Flowey, I'm fine," Frisk caught her mistake and corrected it just in time. This version of Flowey hadn't told her his real name just yet.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Frisk said, reassuring him with a smile. She swung her legs over the bed and stood up.

"Don't you want to rest or something?"

Frisk shook her head. "There's no point. I'm not making any progress by resting."

Eventually, Frisk spared Toriel and moved on to the snowy forest. She heaved a prolonged sigh of relief. Flowey glanced up at her, checking for the flowers that sprouted on her. He counted four on the left side of her face, three on the right side, two on her right hand, and three on her left wrist, peaking out of her sleeve. He switched his gaze back to the path in front of them.

Frisk heard the familiar shuffle of Sans's footsteps behind her, shortly followed by the loud snap of the twig that bounced off the surrounding trees, echoing for a less than a second. She paused her pace in front of the small bridge that was built over the gaping chasm, physically unable to move as Sans had grabbed her soul, keeping it in place with magic. She couldn't help but be curious as she stared down at it: What would happen if she fell in, what is down there, how steep of a fall would it be?

The usual dialogue went by normally but instead of walking the opposite direction afterwards, Sans stayed behind Frisk, urging her to get a move on before his brother got back. Thump, thump, thump, came the approaching footsteps of a taller skeleton, stomping angrily.

"Sans! Where are you!" he yelled out, malice tainting his raspy voice. 

Sans quite obviously started sweating. He rushed in front of Frisk to hide her, shielding her from the potential threat. It was then that she noticed his outfit had a few differences from Underfell Sans's. Additional gold trim on the jacket, shorts, and shoes, as well as a red patch on either sleeve of the jacket.  He had a black scarf lined with thin red vertical stripes, and a golden star necklace stretching out from under it, the same star that Frisk recognised as save points. Both versions wore a red sweater underneath the jacket that they stuck their hands into the pockets of. 

Flowerfell Papyrus was notably more forgiving than Underfell, as evident by the fact that he didn't hit Sans. He walked away after giving Sans a harsh lecture about how he shouldn't leave his station.

"You didn't have to do that," Frisk said after giving Papyrus plenty of time to be out of earshot.

"What? I don't even get a 'thanks'?" Sans spoke with a hint of mischief.

"Thank you. Now, will you tell me why you did that?"

"I got my own reasons that I'm not obliged to tell you."

"But you got... scolded because of me," Frisk said, unable to think of a better word to use.

"It was my choice. I sure as hell knew what I was doing."

"Then why did you do that for me?"

"You ask too many questions, kid."

"I asked one question that you refused to answer!"

Sans let out warning growl directed at her and she decided to stop pestering him. He commanded her to follow him and so she did. He led her through Snowdin quickly, avoiding as many monsters as possible. Whenever they did encounter a monster, he efficiently scared them off and left. Frisk wasn't sure why he was in such a hurry, but she guessed it was something about Papyrus. As she expected, he slowed to a stop after approaching the area where Papyrus guarded, waiting in a battle stance.

"Sans, about time. Good job on leading the human here," Papyrus praised, the tone in his voice hinted at a smile.

Sans didn't reply. He lowered his body slightly, adopting a defensive pose. Papyrus seemed to realise at the same time that Frisk did: Sans was prepared to defend her. 


	7. VII

The fight began with Papyrus attempting to convince Sans to think through his decision, to turn and leave before they both regret it. Sans, though hesitated, stuck to his choice of fighting a fight that wasn't his. Papyrus seemed reluctant to attack but did so anyway. The ground underneath Sans shook lightly and he leapt out of the way as a fence of bones shot out of the ground, barely missing him.

More of these fences popped up, one after the other, quickly cutting off the paths of escape Sans could take. He started to seem panicked as the steps he took became more frantic, risky, and less planned out. Alas, a fence of bones radiating a red hue had caught up to him, stabbing through his right leg. Sans froze, not daring to move a single inch. Taking a deep breath, Papyrus sent a sharpened bone cutting through the air, aimed straight for Sans's head. Sans ducked his head just in time to dodge it, but not the other one that followed. He cried out as the large needle-like bone plunged into his chest, causing him to stumble backwards, triggering the red bones. He screeched as a good chunck of his health was depleted, leaving him at a dangerous ten health points out of a hundred. Having fulfilled their purpose, the bones crumbled into dust.

Frisk winced at sound of bones cracking and an overwhelming wave of guilt crashed into her.

"Stop!" she shrieked, hoping it would have some effect on them.

Sans, now down on his knees, glanced at her. Papyrus had stopped attacking, maybe secretly hoping he didn't have to continue. 

"Sans, let me do this by myself," Frisk pleaded.

Sans only shook his head. Papyrus growled before summoning a large sum of bones, all floating in the air, pointing at Sans. Frisk widened her eyes and pointed at the oncoming threat in an attempt to warn Sans. The bones flew towards him all at once. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light accompanied by the all too familiar sound made by a Gaster Blaster. After the light faded away, she saw a shocked Sans still kneeling on the ground. She trailed her gaze to Papyrus, immediately noting that his left shoulder had been cleanly removed and on the ground next to him lay his left arm. A mix of anger and pain was etched onto his face.

In an instant, Sans was surrounded by red and normal bones that sprang up from the ground. An inner circle of bones materialized, followed by another, then another, slowly closing in on him. Frisk felt her throat tighten as she watched. Sans would die and she couldn't do anything to help.

"Or could you?" Chara questioned ambiguously from behind her.

Frisk spun around and protested, "I can't stop Papyrus! I'm not strong enough and mercy doesn't work!"

"Yeah, it's not like you can bend time or anything."

"But that's cheating..."

"Is it really?"

"Yeah-" Frisk was cut off by Sans hissing in pain. 

His hissing stopped abruptly, causing Frisk to tense up. She shut her eyes, silently praying that Sans wasn't dead. The digital imitation of a breeze told her otherwise.

"Oh hell..." she muttered and opened her eyes.

"Not a choice anymore, hm?"

"When did you get so much sass?"

Chara shrugged. Frisk sighed and conjured the small screen.

Frisk LV 1 --:--

Flowerfell - Sans Death

[Continue] [Reset] [Pause]

Frisk stared at the screen for a few seconds before the realisation hit her like a brick.

"I forgot to save."


	8. VII

Chara sighed. "How could you forget something so important?" they questioned.

"I didn't even see a save point!" Frisk countered, whining slightly.

"Hm. That's strange."

"Human, who are you talking to?" Papyrus called out.

Frisk quickly pressed the pause button.

"It may be a glitch," Chara pondered out loud. 

"A glitch?"

"Yes. It's basically an error that occurs in the universe."

Frisk gave Chara a look that portrayed her confusion. 

"Nevermind. Just know that it's a minor error. Resetting should fix it," Chara says.

"One day you really need to tell me just what the heck you're on about."

"Can do. But that day is not today. Hurry up and reset."

Frisk nodded and pressed the reset button. Her vision went dark and she felt as if the ground underneath her had vanished. The wind rushing past her ears gave her the impression that she was falling quickly. She refrained from screaming as her natural instincts kicked in. Although her body urged her to reach out and grab something, she kept her limbs still, knowing that she wouldn't be hurt. 

Jolting upright suddenly, Frisk looked around to quickly get ahold of her surroundings. She calmed down when her brain registered the familiarity of the golden flower patch. She felt a numbness on her neck, similar to the numbness on the spots where flowers grew on her face. She knew that it unmistakably would be a new flower but raised her hand to her neck anyway. As she expected, her finger brushed against a soft, smooth petal of a small flower. Frisk frowned slightly before pushing herself up from the ground and starting on her way to return to where she was previously.

On the way back, there were no save points. At least, none that Frisk spotted. Chara, however, did see one save point. A small golden star, very much resembling a save point, hanging on a red thread around Sans's neck. Chara and Frisk both agreed on trying to save when near Sans. As Chara expected, it worked.

As they continued on to Sans fighting Papyrus, Frisk tried to think about more ways to break up the fight but reached no definitive conclusion. She tried the first way she thought of; talking them out of it. It didn't work and Sans was killed.

"Damn," Frisk muttered as she pulled up the save panel and hit pause.

"Third time's the charm, perhaps?"

"Maybe. Hey, why can't load my save?"

Chara tilted their head. "Let me see."

A short silence ensued.

"The save file is corrupt," they said.

"What? Why?"

Chara pointed at the pile of dust sitting on the floor, with the star necklace lying on it. The star wasn't the same golden colour but black instead.

"It seems the comedian has to be alive for it to work," Chara concludes.

"The doesn't make sense," Frisk whined.

Chara shrugs. "Different world, different rules."

Frisk sighed and pressed reset.

A new flower had appeared dangerously close to her right eye.

After going through the Ruins and Snowdin yet again, Frisk saved right before the fight with Papyrus. She tried the second way she came up with; standing between them. It didn't work either, she ended up getting killed instead.

"How did that even remotely seem like a good idea?" Chara asks.

"I don't know," Frisk replied.

Frisk loaded her save file, feeling extremely glad that she won't have to go through the first part of the game again. She felt a numbness on her forehead, somewhere above her right eyebrow. She walked forward, towards Papyrus, only to be pulled back by Sans.

"Kid, why are flowers growing on you?" he questioned with a concerned expression.

Frisk thought about the question for a while before she answered, "I don't know."

"Don't do that again."

"What?"

"Don't throw yourself into danger like that again!"

Frisk connected the dots, drawing the conclusion that this version of Sans had an awareness of timelines as well. She nodded as a response.

"What can we do about Papyrus though?" she asked.

"Try blink-saving," Chara suggested.

Frisk paused the game. "Blink-saving?"

"Remember Photoshop Flowey? He saved and loaded over your death? That's blink-saving."

"Oh."

"Save before Sans gets hit and load if he gets hurt."

"But wouldn't that make more flowers appear?"

"Yes, but it really is the only way to get past Papyrus."

Frisk sighed. "In that case, let's just hope Sans is good at dodging."


	9. IX

"Frisk, focus, damn it," Chara chided.

"I'm trying, okay?" Frisk muttered. 

"Try harder!"

"Easier said than done! You made it sound really easy!" she yelled after she miscalculated Sans's movement yet again. 

Frisk loaded a save file and a small flower appeared on her eyebrow. Chara stared intensely at Sans and Papyrus fighting while Frisk bit her lip anxiously. 

She loaded the save file again and a flower appeared on her cheek.

The next flower appeared close to her eye, close enough that it took up a small part of her peripheral vision.

"We're almost done, keep going," Chara encouraged.

Frisk nodded. Another flower appeared close to her eye, covering up more of her vision. She felt her heartbeat speed up, drumming rhythmically against her ribcage. She watched, hoping that she wouldn't need to load a save file anymore because she was sure that the next time she does, she would go blind in her left eye. Frisk watched as Sans struck down Papyrus and a wave of relief wash over her. She let out the breath she didn't realise she was holding in. Frisk quickly saved her progress, not wanting to accidentally lose it somehow.

"Come on, Sans. What are you waiting for?" Papyrus questioned, "What do I always tell you?"

Sans stayed quiet.

"Always strike when your enemies are vulnerable."

Sans shook visibly, even from afar, as he raised a hand, pointing his palm at Papyrus. Tears fell from Sans's eyes as he continued to stall. 

"If he continues waiting, Papyrus is going to recover and reinitiate the fight," Chara states.

"What? He can heal himself?" Frisk asked with both curiosity and shock.

Chara nods. They pointed at Papyrus's hand, pressing against his apparent abdomen, and commented on how his hand was emitting a green hue. Frisk tutted. 

"Sans! Hurry!" Frisk called out.

Sans didn't turn to look at her, he kept his gaze fixed on Papyrus, but the way he twitched slightly signalled to Frisk that he had heard her words. 

"Papyrus has recovered half of his health," Chara warned.

"Sans!" Frisk yelled irritatedly. 

Suddenly, Papyrus shot up and in one swift, smooth movement, he summoned a sharp bone and stabbed into Sans's chest. Chara cursed and Frisk quickly loaded the save file. A sense of panic filled her entire body when she felt numbness in her left eye and significantly less view of what was in front of her. Frisk slowly started hyperventilating, stumbling as she got more lightheaded. She dropped onto the floor with an audible thump, attracting the attention of Sans, causing him to leave the fight and run over to her. Frisk blocked out the desperate pleas from Sans, demanding to know what's wrong. Chara urged her to stay conscious and awake but was ignored. Frisk closed her remaining eye as tears threatened to spill. Then, everything went quiet.


	10. X

_"_ _Chara_ _, why are you trapped here?"_

 

_"You sure are curious."_

 

_She nodded._

 

_"I do not think I should tell you just yet."_

 

_"But why?"_

 

_I do not respond._

 

_"Fine... Will you at least tell me where you are from?"_

 

_"A small, discreet, religious village, somewhere near the mountain. You will not be able to find it anymore."_

 

_"Why?"_

 

_"It was... wiped out."_

 

_"What happened?"_

 

_"...A demon erased it."_

 

_"Is that how you died?"_

 

_"No."_

 

_"Oh, right,_ _buttercup_ _poisoning, I forgot. I'm sorry."_

 

_A short silence ensues._

 

_"How old were you?" she asked._

 

_"When I died?"_

 

_"Yeah."_

 

_I took a moment to think about it. "I was 12 years old."_

 

_"Oh. That's quite young."_

 

_"Yes."_

 

_"How long have you been here?"_

 

_I paused again. I cannot seem to remember. It has been too long, or perhaps time does not exist in the void. It doesn't matter, both are plausible. "I have lost track of time."_

 

_It was obvious she did not know how to respond._

 

_"_ _How old are you now?" I asked to break the deafening silence. I did not need to listen to it any longer._

 

_"12. My birthday is a few months away!"_

 

_"You are quite smart for your age."_

 

_"Thanks."_

 

_The conversation, if it could even be considered one, went dead again and that_ **_damned_ ** _silence replaced it once more. I_ **_hate_ ** _it._

 

_"How do you manage to stay here for so long and not get utterly bored? You have no one to talk to, nothing to do, nothing to keep you entertained. How do you do it?" she_ _blurted out._

 

_"I watched the other universes. I waited for my turn."_

 

_"Oh, that's... sad."_

 

_"Admittedly, the drama in each world was intriguing and entertaining."_

 

_She smiled. "That's good."_

 

_She does not need to know of the main reason I did so._

 

_"Do you mind if I ask more questions?"_

 

_"Not at all." I prefer this to nothingness._

 

_"What really happened?"_

 

_"Pardon?"_

 

_"When you got_ _buttercup_ _poisoning. I don't believe it was an accident and we both know for a fact that monsters can't overpower humans. What is the real reason you poisoned yourself?"_

 

_She might just be too smart for her age. "There were quite a few reasons. I do not intend to tell you just yet."_

 

_"You say that every time."_

 

_"I am aware."_

 

_"Promise you'll tell me someday?"_

 

_"I promise."_

 

_"I'll hold you to it."_

 

_I just need more_ **_time._ **


	11. XI

Frisk jolted awake, finding herself shrouded in darkness. She thought over the strange dream she had, realising it seemed more like a memory. Being quite certain of her conclusion, she pondered about why the memory was not hers but Chara's. She then remembered Chara’s last thought before the “dream” ended, what did mean by they needed more time? Frisk shook her head, putting away that train of thought for later, deciding on finding out where she is first. She brought up her save screen in hopes of using it as a light source.

Frisk LV1 --:--

Void

[Continue] [Reset] [Quit]

Frisk found herself staring at the quit button with an overwhelming sense of curiosity looming over her shoulder. Her fingers itched to press it. She wanted to find out, she needed so desperately to find out what would happen if she pressed quit. Her curiosity became more difficult to suppress the more she stared. It was as if there was something else besides the consequence of pressing the button causing her curiosity to skyrocket.

“Don't,” came a sudden voice from behind Frisk, causing her to jump.

Frisk spun around in an instant, breaking away from her almost hypnotized state, and faced Chara.

"Don't even think about pressing the button," they warned sternly, almost threateningly.

"Okay, okay."

"Close the screen," they commanded.

Frisk complied. "What happened?"

"You passed out."

"Oh, right." Frisk raised her hand up to her face and came into contact with a soft flower petal. She frowned.

"I noticed something odd in the coding. It appears someone tampered with it."

"What? Seriously?"

"No, I edited it myself- Of course I'm serious! This is really bad!"

"What got changed? Do you know who changed it?"

"Only Sans's coding was tampered with, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what changed. Unfortunately, I don't know who or what changed the coding. It could still be here and we wouldn't know."

"Is there a way to track it? Please say yes."

"There absolutely has to be, but I don't know how."

"Damn it."

"I'll keep an eye on the code while you play."

"Does that mean you won't be able to follow me around?"

"Yes."

Frisk pouted. "Okay then."

The game unpaused and Frisk found herself sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree. She struggled to adjust to using only one eye as she peered at two distant figures standing still. She pushed herself up from the floor and wobbled slightly before regaining balance. She then made her way over to the two figures. After getting closer, she identified the figures as Sans and Papyrus, talking. As Frisk approached, Sans snapped his head to look at her before engulfing her in a hug. Papyrus growled lowly.

"What the fuck happened?"

"It's not important."

"You fainted! It's pretty fucking important!"

"I'll tell you later. What were you two talking about?"

"Kid-" Sans started but was cut off by his brother.

"We came to an agreement. I'll let you pass."

Frisk perked up. "Really?"

"Leave before I change my mind," Papyrus warned.

Frisk beamed and gave him a nod of appreciation before she started walking away briskly.

Sans followed close behind.


	12. XII

Frisk continued on with Sans still following. She found it strange that they didn't encounter any enemies along the way but guessed that it was because of Sans; the monsters probably thought that he was bringing her to the king. Eventually, they reached Undyne. Sans firstly tried lying to her, saying that he was taking Frisk straight to Asgore. She didn't believe him. He then tried to talk to her and convince her to drop her spear, but Undyne wasn't as easily swayed as Papyrus. Frisk dreaded even the thought of needing to blink-save. Of course, it was inevitable.

"Wait!" Frisk shouted as Sans took a step towards Undyne. "I wanna try to fight her first."

"HA! You?" Undyne scoffed.

"Kid, are you sure?" Sans asked with concern evident in his voice.

Frisk didn't say anything, she just nodded.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he muttered.

"Why not?"

"You'd die."

"So what? It's not like I haven't before!" Frisk raised her volume, getting more agitated.

This triggered a change in Undyne's expression as she listened to their conversation. Her arrogant smirk twisted into a frown of confusion.

"I know you have. I don't want you to die again," Sans grumbled.

"It's better this way, I won't have to blink-save!"

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Undyne chimed in.

Sans ignored her. "God fucking damn it, Frisk! Just let me do this for you!"

"I can do it myself! Wait, how did you know my name?"

Sans simply shook his head.

"Can you just decided already!" Undyne yelled impatiently.

"I'm fighting," Frisk and Sans said at the same time.

A low growl emitted from Sans before he grabbed Frisk by her shoulders and stared solemnly into her remaining eye.

"Kid. Just fucking listen to me for once. You can only see through one eye right now and I don't know what the hell you're thinking but that puts you at a severe disadvantage. Undyne is a sneaky bitch and I have more experience fighting her. Let. Me. Do. This," he reasoned.

"If I don't do it by myself I'll never learn to cope with using one eye!"

"Fucking hell! I just don't want to see you die, alright! Is that what you want me to say?"

Frisk remained silent.

"Let me-" he started, but was cut off by Frisk's sudden outburst.

"Shut up! Don't underestimate me! I can do it if I try hard enough! If you don't want to watch me die then just leave!"

Sans was taken aback. He stared, wide-eyed, at the fuming little girl in front of him. He heaved a sigh, showing his relent. He turned and walked away without looking back.

Undyne clapped slowly. "Good job, 'Frisk'," she sarcastically congratulated.

Frisk didn't give a verbal reply but menacingly glared at Undyne and walked over, adopting a battle-ready stance. Undyne turned up her nose and tossed a spear to Frisk.

Frisk took a deep breath before uttering, "Do your worse."

Undyne hurled the first spear and it rapidly flew at Frisk. She easily parried the spear, having done it countless times before. What she didn't expect was a second spear, shooting towards her diagonally from the back. She shrieked as the spear cut into her flesh as if it was just air. She dropped onto her hands and knees, coughing up blood.

"Not so confident anymore, huh?" Undyne taunted.

"That's cheating," she exhaled in a whisper.

"Don't blame me for your own incompetence."

The spear dissipated and Frisk hissed in pain as blood gushed out of the now open wound. She slowly moved one hand to cover the wound and apply pressure on it. She used her free hand to push herself up from the ground and back onto her feet. Out of habit, she reached into her inventory to grab a healing item, but her hand didn't make contact. Panic quickly set in as she realised that she didn't take the time to collect healing items. It seemed that Undyne had realised this too as the devilish smile on the monster's face widened to an unnatural and unsettling length.


	13. XIII

Frisk dodged to the side as another spear cut through the air, aimed for her head. She winced and hissed as the quick movement harshly stretched her wound open. She knew she couldn't keep it up, she had to parry instead. Ducking under another attacking spear, she ran for the spear that she had dropped on the ground a few turns ago.

Having been too focused on getting the spear that lied on the ground, Frisk tripped on a rock and landed on the ground with a thud. She put her hands on the ground and tried to push herself up, only to drop back down when the pain in her abdomen screamed at her. She rolled onto her uninjured side and saw two pairs of boots approaching her.

"Get up," Undyne called out with a large grin that was evident in her tone.

Frisk whimpered as Undyne took a step forward, putting half of the monster's weight on her small hand.

"Weren't you so high and mighty just now? Get up, you pathetic little bitch," Undyne spat out as she put more weight on Frisk's hand, causing the child to grit her teeth and hiss.

"That's what I thought," the monster said while grinding the heel of her boot.

Frisk bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to prevent any noise that expressed her agony. If she was going to die, she didn't want Undyne to have the pleasure of getting a reaction out of her.

"I don't know what Sans sees in you. You're weak, frail, and small, you wouldn't have made it to the king alive. I'll save you the trouble." Undyne raised her spear and stabbed downward, cutting cleanly through Frisk's skull and promptly ending their interaction.

Frisk's vision immediately went black. The pain was gone as quickly as it came.

"Why didn't you let him help you?" came Chara's voice, muttering distractedly.

"I didn't want to become too dependent," Frisk replied, sitting up and turning to look at Chara.

"I don't think you're ready to be independent."

"You didn't even see anything!"

"I could still hear."

"Well- I- No- Ugh, fine. You win."

Chara smirked and hummed an agreement.

"So did you find anything?" Frisk pried, scooting closer towards Chara.

"I found what was changed but there were no traces of who or what changed it."

"What changed?"

"Sans's awareness value was raised and so was his emotional level for you."

"And what does that mean?"

"He'll remember the previous timelines more clearly."

"What about the emotional level?"

"That would explain why he wants to protect you so badly."

"Does everyone have coding like that?"

"Yes. Including you and me."

"And just to confirm you can't change the coding?"

"Nope."

"Which means there's some otherworldly being here!" Frisk exclaimed, jumping up from her seat on the floor.

"Most likely. Remember what I told you about the creator?"

"Why is he she changing the coding now? Why Sans? Why specifically me?"

"I'm starting to think they made you more curious," Chara mumbled.

Frisk gasped as an idea popped into her head. "What if  _your_ coding was changed?"

Chara looked up from the hovering screen at Frisk, red eyes widened in realization. They snapped their eyes back to the screen and started scrolling upwards as quickly as they could.

"That would explain so many things!" Chara blurted as they stopped scrolling and scanned the screen carefully, examining each line down to the spacing.

"So? What does it say?" Frisk inquired with unrestrained eagerness.

"Artificial intelligence value was raised," they answered, tilting their head to meet Frisk's eyes.

"What does that mean?"

"I... I don't know."

"Not even the slightest clue?"

"None."

"Damnit."

Chara lowered their eyes and stared at the screen. Their eyebrows furrowed as they spotted a small line of text, sitting in between two strings of code. They leaned towards the screen to get a closer look at what it was. It was seemingly insignificant symbols, not words like what Chara had expected. 

 


End file.
